What Scents Repel Chipmunks?

If you've ever watched a chipmunk in action, you'll see that between its scampers, the animal will stop and sniff the air for a moment.

The chipmunk does this for two reasons: the first of which being that it's trying to gauge the air for a scent of a predator, and the second being that it's using its nose to find possible food sources.

Being able to manipulate this habit and use it to your advantage is an excellent way to humanely drive the chipmunks off your property. Contrary to the noses of humans, chipmunks absolutely can't stand the smells of certain strong oils like peppermint, citrus, cinnamon, and eucalyptus. Additionally, chipmunks can't stand the smell of garlic. By using these scents in your garden as a homemade chipmunk repellent, you'll essentially "re-program" the mind of the chipmunk and make it not want to frequent that area anymore.

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A strong word of warning: moth balls have circulated the internet in the past few years for their effectiveness at warding off unwanted animals. However, we highly advise against the use of chipmunk repellent moth balls due to the toxins inside. Moth balls bear a resemblance to candy, which means that children can easily mistake this poison for something edible.

What About Flowers As A Chipmunk Deterrent?

Part of the fun of being a chipmunk is tearing up the gardens of unsuspecting nearby dwellers.

Many people think that certain types of flowers exist which can scare away chipmunks but in fact, this is not the case. Chipmunks are very attracted to plants in general, so trying to find one that deters these creatures is a fool's errand.

However, this doesn't mean you can't trick a chipmunk with a plant.

Here's an awesome chipmunk repellent home remedy:

First, buy a plant and devote it solely to warding off chipmunks.

Make sure to place this plant away from your other plants that you actually like.

How Do YOU Keep YOUR Chipmunks Away?

Being such a small animal, fear is a huge motivator in the eyes of a chipmunk. This species is always on the lookout for a predator, and always on defense. Anytime you can make a chipmunk feel as if its life is at stake, your chipmunk will feel the need to flee. This truly is the best way to get rid of chipmunks.

How can you do this?

Well, as stated before, the nose is powerful. When chipmunks sniff the urine of a predator, they are instinctively driven away. Now, we're not suggesting that you hand-deliver the urine of a larger animal, but you can take some effortless steps to getting some powerful scent in your yard.

For instance, if you have an indoor cat, let it outside for a few minutes to use the bathroom. Likewise, the urine from a dog can do the trick. If there are no pets available to create the scent of urine, you can go the old fashioned route: purchase a realistic-looking owl to stare down your yard and drive off the chipmunk population for good.

Should You Use Chipmunk Repellent or a Chipmunk Trap?

While the two products sound the same, they produce drastically different results.

A chipmunk trap, however, takes different measures. Not all traps are designed to kill the chipmunk, but there is always a notion of captivity involved. With that said, chipmunks can sometimes panic inside of a trap and harm themselves. You may have to resort to this type of measure if your chipmunks aren't responding well enough to the repellents and wreaking too much havoc in your yard.

(Another option we as a repelling device is to use an ultrasonic repeller, which are built to repel chipmunks as well as other bugs and rodents.)

Chipmunk Repellent Product Reviews

In the below section we break down each of our product recommendations in a little more detail.​

Cons

This realistic-looking owl statue stands at 16" and watches over your garden, scaring away chipmunks without the use of chemicals.

Its glowing eyes act as a natural deterrent against all kinds of pests, and will scare chipmunks as a potential predator.

Pros

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Effective at keeping chipmunks away from your home

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No batteries or moving parts to maintain

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No chemicals or formulas that could harm kids

Cons

Overhead birds can leave droppings on the decoy, which degrades its effectiveness

The owl's eyes may not glow as brightly as advertised

May not totally scare chipmunks

The Bottom Line About Chipmunk Repellents

When you have had enough of chipmunks, a repellent is the first step in making them go away. Some repellents will work better than others; it's simply a matter of environmental factors and how smart your chipmunks have evolved to be.

You don't have to be a chipmunk killer. When you're looking to humanely drive off chipmunks, take our advice: use a trusted product. These are tried-and-true repellents that get the job done safely. A beautiful, rodent-free yard is within your reach!

Our Advice on Chipmunk Repellent

​CAMTOA Ultrasonic Animal Solar Powered Pest Repellent is the go-to in our eyes for all your chipmunk repellent needs. Not only do you just set it up and let it do the work for you, but this device will ward off other species of nuisance animals which could be attracted to the scents you’d likely be spraying to shoo away the chipmunks!

Say goodbye to holes in your yard, chewed-up wires in your vehicle, and uprooted plants in your garden. This solar-powered device will make the chipmunks flee and allow your peace of mind to return.

1 thought on “Top 5 Best Chipmunk Repellents (**2019 Review**)”

Thank Goddess I ran across your article on Google.. My neighbor and I have been dealing with these little destructive demons for two or three years now.. They have ate the plants, dug holes everywhere and the creepy rodents run in our path so we can’t sit out in our yard and enjoy it.. Last yard we bought moth balls and made a barrier and even stuck them in their burrows but they seem to roll around in it with no effect at all.. Now this year they have multiplied so this is War. We’ll try all of it, where to buy the solar powered device..?? Thank You .. Pam Stewart